By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
BROCKPORT, N.Y. — They hadn’t won a Section V football title since 2018, which for some programs wouldn’t be all that bad.
But when you’re Aquinas Institute, when there are 15 championships in the school record book, well, you don’t settle for consolation prizes.
So when Moe Jackson was hired as the 20th head coach in program history in 2023, restoring the glory was a priority.
“When I got here they asked what I wanted our saying to be and I said, ‘The return,’ ” Jackson said. “We wanted to get the program back to where it was.”
It became mission accomplished on Friday night. Or, in team slogan lingo, “Hashtag the return,” senior running back Derrion Battle said.
With a dynamic, multi-faceted offensive attack and a swarming defense, the Li’l Irish thumped Rush-Henrietta 48-14 at SUNY Brockport’s Bob Boozer Field in the Class AA title game.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM LAURA ACCIAIO.
“The boys carried out the plan, the coaches carried out the plan,” Jackson said.
In winning, Aquinas improved to 9-2 and advanced to the Far West Regional and will play Section VI champ Lancaster at 7:30 p.m. Friday at SUNY Brockport. So while the goal of winning the Section V title has been accomplished, there’s still more to do.
“We’re far from done,” said Battle, who scored the first touchdown with a 57-yard scamper 4:09 into the first quarter and then caught a 34-yard scoring strike from Trent Buttles early in the fourth quarter for a 41-7 lead.
For Rush-Henrietta (4-7), the loss ended a Cinderella playoff run one win shy of the grand ball. Seeded eighth, the Royal Comets stunned top-seeded Fairport 42-21 in the quarterfinals, then upended No. 4 UPrep 13-7.
But while R-H carried a tidal wave of underdog momentum into Friday’s championship game, Aquinas was simply too good.
The Li’l Irish built a 10-0 lead in the first 10:27, using Battle’s run and a 32-yard field goal by Mr. Automatic Joshua Campbell. They were well aware of the upsets the Royal Comets had already authored in the tournament and made sure they wouldn’t become the third victim.
“We couldn’t come in cocky so we came in with the same mindset we have for every game: ready and ready to fight,” junior tight end and linebacker Brody Lennox said.
That approach was evident every time R-H counterpunched. Ronin Walker’s fumble recovery gave the Royal Comets the ball at the Aquinas 12 to start the second quarter. Three plays later, sophomore Brendan Mangone scored on a quarterback draw and the Li’l Irish lead was sliced to 10-7.
For all of 14 seconds, that is. Jeffery Logan III returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. He followed his blocking, made one deke and was gone.
“Quante Gillians got a great block and I just hit the crease,” Logan said.
The Aquinas defense then forced a three-and-out and the offense drove 62 yards in seven plays, with Buttles capping the drive with a one-yard plunge for a 24-7 lead.
When Campbell kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter, Aquinas had a 27-7 halftime lead.
The Li’l Irish made sure there would be no improbable comeback by R-H with another dominating drive on their first possession of the third quarter.
Aquinas marched 68 yards in 13 plays, capped when Buttles threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Thomas Levans III, and the lead was 34-7.
“I know the talent we have on this team,” junior lineman Frankie Burgess said. “We never let our foot off the gas. Our motto is, ‘Impose our will.’ ”
When Buttles found Battle alone behind the defense on a second-and-seven from the R-H 34, the rout was on.
That’s also about the time Jackson moseyed from the sideline toward the water cooler – and dumped it out.
The last thing he needed was to be doused with water on a chilly, 46-degree evening.
“They got me a couple weeks in a row so I had to get rid of that,” Jackson said with a smile.
The teams traded kick return TDs 16 seconds apart in the closing minutes. Parker Monette ran a punt back 40 yards for R-H but Joshua Ernst Jr. ran the ensuing kickoff back 85 yards to pay dirt and the scoreboard read 48-14.
Once the final seconds ticked off, the celebration began on the turf of Bob Boozer Field.
“This is what we came here for,” Logan said.
Nice job AQ.